I arrive in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, a little after 1pm. Barely 30 minutes in the country and I find myself telling white lies in the most Malaysian accent I can muster. My prepaid number I purchase comes with a regular-sized SIM card which won’t fit into my iPhone and the special SIM card cutter the call centre is supposed to have mysteriously disappears (IKR, A SIM CARD CUTTER?? – Malaysia memang boleh srsly) so I comb the entire mall to find a phone shop with one. I eventually do but the guy at the counter gives me the stink “YOU MUST BE SINGAPOREAN” eye and asks for 5 bucks to get my card cut. U MAD BRO? 5 bucks for a service that’s supposed to be free? Sorry pal, you’re not touching my shopping fund. So I tell him a half lie. For 10 minutes, I become a tired, hungry girl who’d arrived after a 5 hour drive from Penang. When the man softens and does it for free, I feel the beginnings of guilt pricking my tummy but I remind myself, my maternal grandfather was originally from Penang so I COULD’VE been born there right? Right.

I’m having a hard time writing this entry because I don’t know where to start; so many memories were made and I’ve been to KL countless of times but this trip was just beautiful. It’s bad enough I’m in Australia most of the year but it is utterly dreadful when one of your best friends doesn’t even live in Singapore. Aaron and I start the day at our fave Japanese place, then we head to his design school to grab his grad tickets (AWW MY BABY’S GRADUATING ;__;) and mindlessly walk in the Kuala Lumpur rain to the bus stop. He stops at the most random spot next to the main road, I look around, and there is no bus stop sign (or seats lol).

“Hey where’s the bus stop?”
“This IS the bus stop.”
“Dudeeee.”

I think I love KL a little bit more now LOL. I whip out my iPod on the bus and we sing to all our BFF songs, including Gaga’s U&I and mp3 rips of Adele’s Royal Albert Hall concert which is tons more dramatic than her regular album version – guaranteed to heighten any BFF lip synching experience. We get to the KLCC mall and start filtering through the remnants of the Zara sale while peppering our speech with lines from our video du jour, Shit Fashion Girls Say II:

“Omg I’m convinced Daphne Guinness and Karl Lagerfeld are secretly the same person.”
“She kept calling it Net-a-PORTERRRRRR.”
“I’m really into statement necklaces.”
“I’m such a WHALEEEEEEE!”
“Fashion turbans! But I’m not trying to be political.” – what a reference to me tharrr lol.

We grab dinner at Ben’s, this spectacular restaurant in KLCC bedecked in monochromatic greys and black with visually welcoming pops of yellow. I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS PLACE OMFG. The food is incredible and a main dish only sets you back SGD$12 (!). SINGAPORE Y U NO HAVE?! Aaron and I can’t stop thinking about their wild mushroom spaghettini with mascarpone and truffle oil (!!), I should probably mention the other dishes I tried but I shan’t because everyone needs to trust the crazed foodie in me and order this damn pasta. It is SO totes amaze I shall say this with not the slightest bit of shame: I ordered it again the next day when I met up with Brian, my Malaysian friend from my university (see happy, satisfied smiles in last photo). You guys know I cook a lot of pasta and I tend to avoid ordering something I know I can cook well but this pasta dish makes me want to shake, cry and beg the head chef for the recipe lmao, it is THAT good.

Thanks to Brian and Aaron’s other BFF, Cheawen, I was pretty much driven around the whole of KL – thank you so much for your hospitality, guys! Don’t worry, I won’t be coming back so soon so your petrol tanks are safe 8D And to my bff who worries that he doesn’t spend enough time with me, we’ve only met 3 times in 4 years but that’s why we’re special. Magic can’t be measured.

All photos in this entry were taken with my iPhone via Instagram (follow me at @ilyana) and IncrediBooth.

Ben’s
Suria KLCC
Lot 140 First Floor
50088 Kuala Lumpur
Phone: +6 03 2163 1655
Opening Hours: 10:00am – 11:00pm daily

And the winner is my beautiful friend, Diana! Congratulations, girl!! Diana’s personal blog is friends-only sadly so I’m sorry you guys can’t read her entries. It’s such a wonderful mix of fashion and her hilarious experiences BUT I hear she has a secret project coming soon so maybe she’ll have a new blog then Meanwhile, check out her travel blog: Daisy Diana in Paradise. Gorgeousss!

Special thanks to Yumi who befriended a super hot SA at Lush who gave us discounts for our purchases ;p Yumi was giving me suggestions on the different products in Lush I should get for the giveaway winner and the first thing she picked out was Lovely Jubblies which is essentially a cream for breasts LOL. I have such great friends, srsly XD

Speaking of great friends, I know I’m not supposed to be biased but hello best giveaway entry ever??

HAHAHA Aaron was almost furious when he found out he didn’t win, aww my poor bff lol. This is what he said to me when he told me he was going to participate in the giveaway:

Isn’t he the best?? Anyway, I had a ton of fun reading all your entries – I apologise for announcing the results a little late, I just wanted to make sure I replied to each and every entry before making my announcement. So participants, please check the giveaway entry again to read my replies and thank you so much for taking part! I’m sorry I don’t have more prizes to give away (my sad student allowance can only afford so much D:) but I appreciate the suggestions and comments about what you’d like to see more on this blog!

BEAUTY ENTRY COMING UP NEXT LADIES! x

I like the eccentric as much as I like the pretty. It’s reflected in the clothes I pick and the friends I have. And the kookiest one I know has a bad habit of buying me a hoard of kitschy paraphernalia whenever she travels to the coolest part of Asia, Japan (my very biased opinion, obviously). Yumi‘s half-Japanese so she visits her motherland once a year. Uh huh, I know right. Most people only venture into Tokyo in their sleep (me included!) and she gets to go there every year.

Still, I can’t whine about it too much since she always gets me a giant goody bag filled with amazing things. Remember last year’s? I have no idea why she spoils me so much. I listed down the pros she might have with me as a friend in my head and apart from “enjoys eating monstrous amounts of pizza and pastries” and “can converse on a wide range of topics from the worsening economy to fat cats”, there is quite little I can offer LOL *shrugs* KEEP ON GIVING, YUMI! <3

See what I mean?? How can you not get excited when taking a peek into this treasureland?

The tote bag that came with the magazine she gave me! Perfect for my grocery shopping :3

This cute skincare trial pack she got for me! It comes with a foaming cleanser for the day and a thick gel for removing make-up at night. I’ve not used the cleanser yet (I am a cleanser junkie and have about 4 more bottles of different cleansers to go through, see below) but the make-up remover gel is great! You spread it on your face and it slowly warms up when you massage it into the skin. Mmm magic thermal heating properties, kinky. And with a name like MARSHMALLOW ORANGE, nobody will dare deny its awesomeness. Yep, it does smell of oranges too :3

Natural Blush by Cezanne, which I believe is a common drugstore find in Japan? This is Shade 01 and is reminiscent of my NARS Angelika blush except it’s warmer and matte. It does have a slight shimmer to it in the pan but the shimmer vanishes once you apply it onto the skin. I wasn’t expecting a lot from this blush because I’m going to say, without an ounce of shame, that I wasn’t too keen on the packaging. There’s nothing wrong with it but once you’ve been exposed to the remarkable packaging design skillz of the Japanese, you kinda expect more than a simple acrylic case. Aah but in this case, simple is good. The blush is beautifully pigmented and in the words of Edith Piaf: Non, je ne regrette rien!

My first product from Japanese drugstore beauty and skincare mogul, SANA! The packaging is so cute omfg, I cannot. Girly ‘kawaii kore!!‘ squeals aside, this concealer is bananas. Like, literally. It is the shade of the palest banana HAHA WTF o_O; The craziest thing is, it fricking works. Admittedly, the coverage isn’t as good as my MAC Studio Finish concealer but it’s got a nice light consistency which the Studio Finish concealer is sorely lacking in. You don’t ever need to worry about putting too much either. Point is, if your undereye circles aren’t as abhorrent as mine, I would definitely recommend the SANA concealer!

THE OBAA-CHAN (grandmother) OF ALL FOAM-DISPENSED CLEANSERS: Softymo’s Airy Whip. I’ve wanted to try this for years! It’s not open yet – I’m saving it for winter. Super huge photo to make up for my lack of review lol.

And the dubiously named Pink-G Body Lotion LOL, oh Japan how you tickle me. Yumi sent me a sexy photo of her posing with this bottle the same day she bought it, yelling with unrestrained enthusiasm about how she found something that screamed ‘me’. It’s got slivers of silver foil trapped in a beautifully rose-scented aqueous gel that transforms into water when coming into contact with your skin . I’ve used it a couple of times and the silver foil actually melts away, leaving behind the barest hint of shimmer. THIS IS THE SHIT RAIT HERE PEOPLE.

Peach-scented hand cream! I know it doesn’t look like your typical tube of hand cream. And get this, the hand cream is dispensed in FOAM. I don’t know what it is with the Japanese and turning everything into foam but GO FORTH AND SOLDIER ON, JAPAN! /o/ It’s like a wild foam party treat for my hands, minus the gyrating bodies and scantily-dressed women, LOVE THIS.

DHC‘s famous lip cream. It’s still unopened, sorry. Again, I’m saving this for winter. I’ve heard plenty of good things about this though, Yumi loves the lip cream as well! I’m going to be so prepared for winter this year; I’ve got different cleansers, lipbalm and slight deviation here, the warmest thermal fleece jacket from UNIQLO <3 WINTER, I WILL OWN YOU.

These product reviews would not have been possible without the extreme generosity of Yumi, THANK YOU MY LOVE <3 <3 I will see you back in Melbourne where we will feast on feta cheese and pumpkin pizza.

ALSO, TEA NOIR’S EPIC GIVEAWAY IS ENDING IN 2 DAYS!! The entries I’ve been getting are such a delight to read, thank you so much for taking part guys! It’s going to be so hard to choose my top faves *_* Please join in the fun, if you haven’t ;D Click here to take part in the giveaway and then you can truly say Non, je ne regrette rien! 8D

I have never met my best friend in real life. Ours is a profound friendship bordering on ingenuity and slight insanity. We met in that bizarre universe people called the internet through the unlikeliest of people, two friends – one known for her promiscuous ways and the other, a gay designer friend I used to be close to. This is really starting to sound like a cliched rehash of The Devil Wears Prada lol but bear with me.

We bonded over a common love for fashion, design and caramel lattes with two sugars. It was almost cosmic. It still baffles me how we have managed to forge a close friendship despite living in two different countries. We both had strong personalities and I remember him telling me once, “The only reason why we’re best friends is because no one else can stand us.”

Have you ever met someone you feel instantly drawn to on an emotional level? A friend you can divulge even the most sordid secret with, someone who takes your side no matter how much of a bitch you were to your ex-boyfriend (true story!), makes fun of you when you do something stupid but immediately puts you at ease after he’s done? Aaron has been a pivotal part of my life for the last 3 years and somewhere in the middle of that, despite having only talked online, we dropped the “friend” label and became best friends.

Naturally, we often talked about meeting each other and sometimes we’d dream up these dramatic scenarios of our first meeting taking place in Champs-Élysées where we’d run from opposite ends dressed in McQueen to meet in the middle LOL. The funny thing is our first meeting was more anti-climatic than we had imagined, the Earth didn’t implode/explode and Katy Perry wasn’t around to do a medley of Teenage Dream/Firework. It felt like we’ve been going out forever and it was great to see that we were the same online and offline. Inside jokes were shared, insults were traded and significant events were retold with a strange note of familiarity. This is quite possibly the most surreal experience I’ve ever had.

Quoting Aaron, “It felt like the physical manifestation of texting you throughout the day.”

I was in KL for 3 days and he graciously rearranged his schedule so we could hang out everyday so nice omg ;__; On our last day we went to Whisk, a little cafe he’s fond of that serves some damn good red velvet cake with cream cheese icing. We tried a little bit of everything and drowned it all with sips of caramel milkshake. I’ll let the photos speak for the amount of sugar we consumed that day lol.

The last couple of photos are of Aaron‘s recent design project! Isn’t he immensely talented? I love surrounding myself with creative people and seeing his work for the first time in the flesh instead of on my computer screen was definitely a highlight of the trip. Thank you for your time bb, it was perfect – YOU are perfect! I wish I could stay longer but really, as long as we talk online it probably won’t make much of a difference lol. MISS CHU BB <333333333333 MOVE TO SINGAPORE PLX.

OH. MY. GOD. The incredulous has happened, Carine Roitfeld has resigned from her post as editor of French Vogue!

In a surprise move, Carine Roitfeld said Friday she will step down as editor in chief of French Vogue at the end of January.

“It’s 10 years that I’m editor of the magazine,” Ms. Roitfeld, one of the most influential editors in the fashion business, said in a telephone interview. “I think it’s time to do something different.”

She informed Jonathan Newhouse, the chief executive of Conde Nast International, that she wished to pursue other projects. – NYTimes

I cry. I have lost track of the many seasons I spent lusting for her Alaïa shoes and stalking her super hot Vogue Paris team (mmm Melanie Huynh) Will those days be numbered now that she’s gone? I’m secretly hoping she hooks up with Tom Ford again like back in the day when he ruled Gucci (No, not in THAT way – everyone knows Ford swings for the other team)

It actually makes sense? Ford is back with a new womenswear collection and Roitfeld recently made him guest editor of the December 2010 issue of Vogue Paris so I won’t be surprised if those two are collaborating on something big. Well, whatever it is – good luck Carine and holy crap, good luck Vogue Paris. I don’t know how you guys are going to find someone as achingly talented but I’m sure you will try!

Today also happens to be my bff LK’s birthday!! Happy birthday, darling! Wishing you all the best for your exam results tho seriously, we both know you don’t need the luck because you’re crazy smart. I still find it incredible that we’ve been such good friends for so long – 8 years and counting! You are brilliant and I often strive to work harder because I’m so inspired by the way you work. Lunch next week, ne? <3 <3 <3

Also a mini announcement: I’ll be leaving for a short family vacation to Malaysia for the next couple of days so I’ll only be updating late next week when I get back ;D Take care, everyone!

Just some photos of my lunch date in the city with my bff! I managed to sneak my miu miu bow bag out of the house without my mother knowing and finally after a year of repeated mental reminders to myself that my faux leather bags still looked great next to LK’s Louis Vuitton Tadao bag, WE ARE NOW EVEN MY DEAR FRIEND. Anyway, about my mother – bless her heart, the bag is mine but she insists I use it only for dinners or weddings.

Fancy dinners and weddings occur like, NEVER? That may be a bit of an exaggeration since I did just attend a couple of weddings last week but the point is the miu miu bow is an EVERYDAY bag, it’s not supposed to be unleashed only once every full moon (or in this case, blue moon) like a Taylor Lautner style underage werewolf. Besides, she already has the Chanel 2.55 on hand for special events lol so MOM I’M SORRY BUT I’M HIJACKING MY MIU MIU.

While I do enjoy catching up with my friends (and eating 3x my body weight), being back in Singapore does have its gripes.

1) I was on the train today and this 6-year-old girl is blasting Justin Bieber on her iPhone WTF? Dude, this is not cool. Parents, please educate your children before releasing them into the concrete wilderness kthx.

2) I know a lot of Malay guys are into tattoos, it’s really none of my business what you do with your body but please for the love of AESTHETICISM, DO NOT DIY YOUR OWN TATS. I have been treated to a visual non-gasm of scrawls in faded blue ink on arms and legs. I know a lot of people make the decision (or mistake) of tattooing their girl/boyfriend’s name onto their skin but please do not attempt to scratch “REENA SYG KU” into your skin without a professional’s help. TOLONG LAH SIKIT BILA KITA NAK MAJU NI?!

3) Cupid has some serious explaining to do. Suddenly EVERYONE is getting engaged/hitched/preggers. Two years ago, my mother flipped when she found out I was dating some guy and a couple of months later, she was so happy we were no longer together, it was almost criminal (criminal because it was a dark time for me and she could have at least masked her happiness a little) Now, she is flipping out because I am a fine-fresh-fierce single *snaps fingers* with no plans to date anyone. She’s bent on getting me to date her friend’s son whom btw is SO NOT BOYFRIEND MATERIAL.

Despite the er, indulgent nature of this blog, I am not a superficial bitch. In terms of men, as cliche as it sounds, I don’t believe looks are everything. I like a guy I can converse with over pertinent issues, someone who laughs with me and maybe someone who understands the importance of LANVIN in a girl’s life (LOL I’M KIDDING!) But yeah, this “potential” boyfriend my mother had in mind just wasn’t someone I’d picture myself with. It’s great that my friends and cousins are getting engaged but it’s also great that I’m single and blissfully happy with the way my life has been – besides I want LANVIN, not diamonds ;p

ALL MAH SINGLE LADIES, I GOT CHO BACK GIRLS! x

And the best place to be a tourist in your own damn country. We trudged slowly through the different zones in the theme park, stopping every 5 minutes to take snapshots of the fictional American streets. A sign on a lamp post indicated we were in “Hollywood, Population: Glamorous” where ornate buildings lined the street but that’s where the realism ends. Mothers juggling with their crying babies, strollers and giant diaper bags were a common fixture in Fake Hollywood, their husbands too engrossed with their new DSLRs to care about soiled diapers.

Shrek’s castle in Far Far Away has some magnificent phony architecture but after decades of watching old Disney classics, nothing can compare to the beauty of Cinderella’s castle in Disneyland. I thought Far Far Away would be my favourite zone in Universal Studios but I found myself to be completely entranced with mock Egypt. It is MAJESTIC. Towering statues of the Egyptian god, Anubis, were interspersed with hieroglyphs, taking visitors away from the iconic replica of New York/LA and into the curious, even perplexing world of Egyptian mythology. It is a romanticised view because there is more to Egypt than mummies and jackal-headed gods obviously. But hey, if you wanted a true-to-life replica of Egypt, I suggest you visit the museum or fly there lol. And maybe I’m partial to mock Egypt because the main attraction it houses -The Revenge of The Mummy- is my fave! It’s an indoor roller coaster, similar to Disney’s Space Mountain, and I rode it 5 times before I was satisfied >D

I’d like to thank my bff/tea noir’s site manager LK/Dejiki/Nicholas (this boy has more names than me) and his sister, Giselle (whom btw is the PRETTIEST CHINESE GIRL I’VE EVER KNOWN, her skin is flawless check below for pictures ;p) for basically paying everything for me lol – god you guys know how to make a girl feel special. And of course, Jacq, for the laughs <3 WE NEED TO GO AGAIN GAIS!

Have a happy weekend, everyone! :3

I went out on a casual lunch date over the weekend with my fave lawyer couple, Shaz and Aidil! I’ve not seen Shaz in months, Aidil and I haven’t officially met so the lunch date was a long time coming. It was very impromptu honestly, Shaz had been tweeting about how deliciously light the food at The Marmalade Pantry was the past month, especially the risotto so I was like wait, hold on thar – did she just say RISOTTO?!

Here’s the sad truth: I’ve never eaten risotto in my life. I know it’s hard to believe since I’m pretty hardcore about food but yeah, srsly this girl here has never tasted a grain of the delicately flavoured arborio rice in the 21 years of her life.

So that was it, I had to ask Shaz out for lunch/dinner/supper/WHATEVER I DON’T CARE AS LONG AS I GET MY RISOTTO…Somewhere out there in the universe, the stars aligned in perfect symmetry and cleared Shaz & Aidil’s schedule on Sunday! We were all set for a gastronomical adventure whoo hoo!

God they are such an amazing couple. They have this special ability to make you feel comfortable, like you’ve known them for years because we just kept talking and talking and talking with no awkward pauses! They’ve been to the restaurant a couple of times already so they recommended me a few star dishes.

For starters, we shared this Warm Spinach Salad with breaded cubes of mozzarella and burnt butter dressing. It was served with a perfect poached egg on top and MY GOD IT WAS SOOOO GOOD. I have no clue what went into the burnt butter dressing but I did taste some hints of balsamic vinegar which I adore so that’s extra brownie points for The Marmalade Pantry!

* Muslims, please note that this salad originally has bacon in it, make sure to ask for the salad without the bacon when ordering!

Aidil had the Crabmeat Linguine with pine nuts in a tomato base. I had such a kick out of sampling his dish because I didn’t expect it to be…spicy. I love its spiciness, the crabmeat was flaked nicely and it was just really refreshing!

Shaz ordered the Cappellini Aglio Olio which had roughly a million tiny shrimp in it lol! I don’t know how to describe the taste of the pasta, it’s got a nice crunch and the shrimp added a slightly sharp contrast of flavour to the aglio olio – you guys just have to try it k!

And now the moment you’ve all been waiting for – wait NO! it’s the moment I, ILYANA, HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR ALL MY LIFE…the Truffled Field Mushroom Risotto! My very first risotto and I am happy to say I’m not disappointed at all. It’s everything I’ve imagined it to be: creamy but light and absolutely bursting with flavour. Sigh I wish I could turn back time and savour it all over again!

CUPCAKES! So pretty to look at, no? They sell out really really fast and the ones we got were basically the “leftovers”. Shaz & Aidil recommended me the chocolate cupcakes the restaurant had like The Chocolate Deluxe (O.M.G) and The Nutella (how can u go wrong with nutella right?) BUT EVERY CUPCAKE WITH SO MUCH AS A DUSTING OF COCOA POWDER WAS SOLD OUT. WHY GOD WHY?!

We settled for the Limonata which is, if you might have guessed, a lemon glazed cupcake and the Strawberries and Creme (no explanations needed for this one I’m sure lol) They were nice but Shaz told me the chocolate cupcakes were much better in terms of taste and texture so I’m going to skip out on the fruity flavoured cupcakes and beeline for the chocolate ones next time.

Not only was it my first time eating risotto, it was also the first time I ventured into sticky date & toffee pudding land aka real-life heaven. This was actually Aidil’s but us girls being girls, we stole some baha! I LOVE THIS STUFF. I heard from the couple that this was the restaurant’s best seller and it’s no wonder really – the pudding was moist and slight chewy, accompanied with a sweet caramel toffee drizzle + a scoop of some damn good vanilla bean ice cream. Such a perfect symphony of flavours, yummm.

I think I’m in love with The Marmalade Pantry. I like the atmosphere, the food, the whole brand identity (srsly how quaint is the logo?!) I love this huge ass flower that sits prettily on every table (can someone identify this flower for me?), the prices, I won’t lie, are a little steep compared to what most people are used to but I believe you get what you pay for so if you have a special occasion coming up, bring that special someone here!

Lol moment: Aidil playing around with my wallet while we were waiting for the bill, you don’t mess with PRADA k!

A quick shot of me, Shaz and Aidil before we headed home! We watched Julie & Julia in the cinemas after lunch, you should check it out – it’s a nice heartwarming FOODIE movie! Just don’t watch it on an empty stomach, you’d be lusting after french food during the entire movie.

The Marmalade Pantry
Unit 03-22
Orchard Ion
2 Orchard Turn
Singapore 238801

Til next time~

Edit 10/11/2009: Okay guys I’ve just been informed by a commenter that the Risotto and the Cappellini Aglio Olio contains white wine in it! We were totally clueless about it and I’m slightly devastated that I can’t eat my risotto again. Muslim readers, I don’t want to go all preachy because I’m sure we get enough from our parents to last us a lifetime lol but please take note!